Jean Sprackland and Francis Spufford
Francis is the author of I May Be Some Time, The Child That Books Built and Backroom Boys. He and Jean dive into a conversation about his 2012 novel Red Plenty, a book about “the moment in the mid-20th century when people believed that the state-owned Soviet economy might genuinely outdo the market, and produce a world of rich communists and envious capitalists.”
Spufford’s 2012 novel, ‘Red Plenty’
He believes that religion is receding and so he turned to writing as a place where ‘books do what books do’ and bring into focus Christianity and its properties. Francis knew that his first task for this book was to condense and sum up the whole of the New Testament into 30 pages, for those who know little about the content of the bible. ‘It was an interesting technical challenge,’ he says wryly.
Francis tells the story of The Return of the Prodigal Son in this cut down form. The younger son is ‘all flash and leather trousers’, easy to dismiss and cast out for doing wrong. But as the son’s father realises, we all need someone to accept us even after doing something wrong. ‘This is my son. He was lost and now is found.’ His ending sentence gathers an applause that fills the room.
Later, Francis explains how ‘comfort zones are for pink stuffed things’ and how he is always trying to attempt new writing challenges. Fiction, he explains is something he had to ‘creep up on’ and had to learn in stages. The Child that Books Built and Red Plenty are a credit to his versatility. He also writes memoirs and engages in science and travel writing.
Featured image: Seagoth “This album is dedicated to all of the people who can’t take a day off from themselves, to the people who have to face their greatest fears every single day – and to all the pain we feel, may we heal”. – Seagoth on How to Stay Wide Awake. While studying music…
Featured image: So La Flair Theatre Ellie Campbell and Megan Keaveney graduated last year from Manchester Theatre School. The pair met at a house party in their first year, where Ellie was standing on a table singing her heart out to Florence and the Machine. Megan locked eyes with her and knew they would be…
Featured image: PA As members of BTS embark on their military services, South Korean singer and songwriter Golden Maknae Jungkook is taking a venture into his new solo journey. Jungkook is celebrated for his outstanding stage presence and vocal ability to traverse different genres. With the discovery of his new upcoming album Golden, including 11…
Featured image and photography: Nathan Cutler aAh! Magazine highlights the up-and-coming talent of Manchester Fashion Institute (MFI) students this spring, introducing the young artists and designers who are sharing unique, creative and innovative work. Our MFI Fashion Spotlight focuses on three second-year Fashion Art Direction students who are taking part in the university-led project titled…
Leave a reply